New HIV vaccine trial begins in South Africa

Lebanese minister resigns from newly formed cabinet

Only hours after Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati (pictured) announced the formation of a 30-member cabinet dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, a Druze politician appointed as minister of state handed in his resignation.

AP - Lebanon’s prime minister announced a new government Monday dominated by the militant Hezbollah and its allies, putting an Iranian proxy at the helm at a time when Washington’s influence in the Middle East is on the wane.

Lebanon had been without a functioning government since January, when Hezbollah forced the collapse of the previous, Western-backed administration.

But within hours of the much-delayed announcement, one minister announced he was resigning because he did not receive a high-profile post.

Hezbollah has seen a steady rise over the past few decades from a resistance group fighting Israel to Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force.

Opponents of Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, say having Hezbollah in control of Lebanon’s government will lead to international isolation.

The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback to the United States, which has provided Lebanon with $720 million in military aid since 2006 and has tried in vain to move the country firmly into a Western sphere and end the influence of Iran and Syria, which have played strong roles in Lebanese politics for decades.

Hezbollah forced the collapse of Lebanon’s pro-Western government in January over fears it would be indicted by a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hariri’s son, Saad, who was prime minister at the time, refused to denounce the tribunal or cut off Lebanon’s 49 percent share of the funding for it.

Hezbollah and its allies then walked out of the government, forcing it to collapse, and secured enough support in parliament to name Najib Mikati as their pick for prime minister. But Mikati has struggled to form a Cabinet, insisting he will not do the bidding of any one side in Lebanon’s fractious politics.

On Monday, Mikati announced a Cabinet that gives Hezbollah and its allies 16 of the 30 seats. In the previous government, they had 10 seats.

The Cabinet still must be formally presented for Parliament for a vote of confidence.

Lebanon’s politics are always fractious, in part because of the sectarian makeup of the country’s government.

According to Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim.

Each faith makes up about a third of Lebanon’s population of 4 million. Talal Arslan, a politician from the tiny Druse sect, resigned Monday after it was announced he was named to the post of state minister without portfolio.

He said Mikati should have given the representative of the Druse community a higher-profile post.

Mikati urged the Lebanese to give the government a chance to prove itself. “Do not judge intentions and people, but rather actions,” he said during a televised news conference.

Hezbollah denies any links to the killing of Rafik Hariri and calls the court a conspiracy by the U.S. and Israel. The group and its allies walked out of the previous government when then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the slain man’s son, refused to denounce the tribunal and cut off Lebanon’s 49 percent share of the funding for it.

Many fear Hezbollah will react violently if its members are indicted, as is widely expected.

Mikati was quick to reiterate that his government will respect Lebanon’s international commitments, a reference to the international tribunal, suggesting that he will not cut its funding.

Saad Hariri, who has described Mikati’s nomination as a coup, vowed not to be part of the new government and his Western-backed coalition is now the opposition in Lebanon.

The Cabinet formation was held up over months of wrangling over sensitive posts.

The new government is made up of a mix of politicians and technocrats. The two Hezbollah ministers retained their posts, with Hussein Haj Hassan staying on as agriculture minister and Mohammed Fneish as state minister for administrative development.

The finance ministry, which traditionally has been held by members of Hariri’s Future Movement, went to Mikati’s ally, former Economy Minister Mohammad Safadi.

The Defense Ministry went to Fayez Ghosn, a member of a Christian party allied with Hezbollah.